Old Quarter, Hanoi

Hanoi-Old-Quarter-696x435

Best time to travel: Oct-Dec
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Region of Hanoi that has been in existence since imperial times
  • Was a residential, manufacturing, and commercial center
  • Each street was specialized to one specific type of manufacturing or commerce

Hạ Long Bay, Quảng Ninh Province

Halong_ensemble_(colour_corrected) (1)

Best time to travel: March-May, Sept-Nov
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Hard
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Bay that features limestone karsts and isles
  • Bay has been formed over the course of 500 million years in different conditions and environments

War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City

1920px-War_Remnants_Museum,_HCMC,_front

Best time to travel: Feb
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Contains exhibits relating to the Vietnam War and the first Indochina War involving the French colonialists

Củ Chi Tunnels, Ho Chi Minh City

vietnam-cu_chi_tunnels-1500x850__5_

Best time to travel: Jan-April, Dec
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Large network of tunnels that underlie much of the country
  • Military campaigns during the Vietnam War
  • Used as hiding spots during combat, as well as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches, and living quarters for North Vietnamese fighters

Temple of Literature, Hanoi

Best time to travel: Feb-April, late Sept-Nov
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Temple dedicated to Confucius in Hanoi, the temple also hosts the Imperial Academy, Vietnam’s first national university
  • The temple was built in 1070 at the time of Emperor Lý Thánh Tông
  • It is one of several temples in Vietnam which is dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars
  • The various pavilions, halls, statues and stelae of doctors are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and the strict exams of the Đại Việt took place

Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh City

Best time to travel: Jan-mid May, late Oct-Dec
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Landmark in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), Vietnam, it was the home and workplace of the President of Republic of (South) Vietnam
  • It was the site of the Fall of Saigon in 1975 that ended the Vietnam War, when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates

Bến Thành Market, Ho Chi Minh City

Best time to travel: Feb
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Market located in the center of Hồ Chí Minh City, the market is one of the earliest surviving structures in Saigon and an important symbol of the city
  • Ben Thanh Market is a famous destination for many local and foreign tourists from all around the world
  • The market has nearly 1,500 booths with more than 6,000 small businesses selling wholesale and retail items from consumables to luxury goods